


Fallen from the Sky

by Skyepilot



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Angst, Beers, Coulson thinks he's going crazy but has a little problem called SKYE, Coulson's in love with Skye, Don't be an idiot Phil the Season, Everyone loves Lola, F/M, Gen, Hunter as Coulson's shrink, Hunter flirts with Skye, Kissing, Male Bonding, Melancholy, Of course I wrote it, Reminiscing, Romance, Skye is mad and sad at Coulson, by accident
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-09
Updated: 2014-10-10
Packaged: 2018-02-20 11:46:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2427530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyepilot/pseuds/Skyepilot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After 02x03, based on Skye telling Hunter about the Lola rescue in 'Nothing Personal'. Hunter pries into Coulson's relationship with Skye and wants to know about Lola. Sweet and kind of melancholic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Good one, mate

**Author's Note:**

> Song title taken from this. I love this song.
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvD1PPILUys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coulson talks to Hunter.

"She did alright, eh?"

Coulson sat down in the chair across from Hunter, watched the other man slouch down into his chair like a slob, drinking his beer from the bottle.

" _Skye_?"

Hunter closed his eyes and slow nodded.

"Yeah. She did."

"So this Lola..." he started.

"Who brought that up?" Coulson asked quickly.

"Agent Skye. She said it was her first jump," he laughed. "Strange girl."

"Huh," Coulson said, relaxing into the chair, his mind beginning to wander off.

Hunter watched him with curiosity and then got up to get another beer from the fridge, popped the top.

"It all came off without a hitch," he said, flopping down into the chair with his legs dangling over one arm.

"Is that the _expected_ norm?"

"We do our best," Coulson said, taking a deep breath, mentally rejoining the conversation.

"Yeah, you seem like a guy used to getting his way," he replied, as Coulson narrowed his eyes.

"So, your other agent in the lion's den, well, that sounds like a fun ride."

Coulson stared at Hunter's clearly sarcastic smile glaring over at him.

"Simmons. You'd like her. Not sure she'd like you," Coulson said with a pessimist's frown.

Hunter stared back at him, beer poised for another drink, looking him up and down.

"You went somewhere back there."

"I think I made a mistake," Coulson said, bringing one leg up to rest on the other knee.

He put his thumb against his lower lip, chuckled with a shake of his head.

"Sorry?"

"I fell in love with her," Coulson answered, smiling wistfully.

"Ha, good one mate," Hunter said, lifting his bottle and looking at Coulson before taking another swig of his beer.

Coulson didn't move, just smiled back at him.

"And...not joking. Good to know."

"Depends on when you catch me," Coulson said, sitting back in the chair.

"Why are you telling me this?" Hunter asked, shaking his head.

"I don't know," Coulson said with a shrug as he walked to the fridge to get a beer out, popping the top off.

He sat back down in the seat, took his first sip, loosened his tie.

"Maybe it's because you're a mercenary," he started. "You don't do things the way we do, so you might understand. Real life."

"Are you asking or telling me this?"

"Neither. I'm just talking."

"So, when did you realize you had romantic feelings for your Agent, Mr. Director?"

Coulson shot him a rueful glare at his intonation. Then slouched back in the chair.

"It's complicated," he said, the bottle balanced on his stomach as he stared up at the ceiling.

"This incident with Lola, maybe you could describe it?"

"Well," he said, thinking back "We had an agent that turned on us, Ward," he said, motioning with his hand. "You've heard about that by now. And he had kidnapped Skye to get her to unlock a hard drive that she had geolocked at 30,000 feet."

"Nifty," Hunter commented.

"Skye's _also_ a fantastic hacker," Coulson tossed out before continuing.

"Naturally," Hunter agreed.

"Ward took the Bus, and he took Skye..." Coulson said, as he drifted again for a moment.

"And I...wanted her back."

Coulson frowned, took a sip of his beer.

"The part about Lola, though," Hunter said, waving his hand at Coulson.

"I snuck onto the Bus when we were on the ground, took off inside the wheelhouse, climbed through the guts, found Skye, opened the door, and there she was."

Hunter raised an eyebrow at the smile on Coulson's face.

"And then _Lola_...," Hunter said, after that had gone on far too long.

"Yes, well I was going for the cockpit and we found out Deathlok was on board."

"This is becoming a miniseries," Hunter remarked with an eyeroll.

"Deathlok, Mike Petersen, was a cyborg created by HYDRA inside SHIELD, it's a long story," he said, waving his hand. "So I decided we had to get out, let Ward keep the Bus. We went to the cargo hold and Skye grabbed a chute and I told her to get into Lola."

Coulson took another sip and looked at Hunter like the story was done already.

"No," Hunter said, annoyed. "Continue."

"Lola," Coulson sighed dreamily. "Was sitting there, looking just so beautiful. Not a mark on her."

"Lola," Hunter said, sitting up in the chair, and leaning forward, agitated. "What is a Lola? Is it a car, it flies, what?"

"Lola is a '62 Chevy Vette originally designed by Howard Stark with hovercar capabilities."

"So the car can fly," Hunter asked, dully.

"Yes. Not really meant for backing out of the cargo hold of a plane at 30,000 feet, but, we were out of options."

"Oh, so _that's_ what she meant," he said, sitting back.

"With a broken thruster," Coulson said, making sure Hunter understood.

"Gosh, sounds serious," he said, snickering.

"Skye didn't put on her seatbelt."

Hunter's eyes went wide.

"I asked," Coulson said.

"That poor girl," Hunter said, laughing, shaking his head. "But, you made it."

"Yes, we did," Coulson said, drifting again.

"She's a bit young for you man," Hunter said, standing up and tossing away his bottle. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm not," he answered, a little bitterly.

"She talks about you, a lot," Hunter admitted, standing against the sink, crossing his arms.

"As much as you talk about your ex-wife?" Coulson shot back.

"Probably," he said, raising his eyebrows.

"This is not the thing to do, right?" Coulson said sheepishly, leaning forward to put his arms on his knees.

"If you want me to pop you around like a pinata, I'm not your guy," Hunter said, walking towards the door.

"But, you might want to stop ignoring her. If you feel that way and all."

Coulson finished the rest of his beer.

"It's one thing to be the Director, it's another to be a dick."

Coulson shot a surprised glance over at him as Hunter raised a hand apologetically, gave a slight bow.

"Sir."

"I'll keep that in mind," Coulson said, shaking his head.

He groaned and sunk back further into his chair, putting his hand over his eyes, relishing the moment of silence, taking in the memories he had just shared.

"Almost didn't see you there."

Coulson sat up to see Skye standing in front of him barefoot and wearing sweats and a tank, with a bowl in her hand.

"You blend right in with the furniture," she said, passing him by, reaching into the cabinet to pull down a box of cereal.

"Late night snack?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said, going to the fridge, she got out the milk and shut the door.

"I didn't even hear you come in," he said.

"Stepping up my ninja game, because you never know who will show up around here. Literally."

"True," he said, sitting up in the chair.

"Drinking alone?" she said, looking over at the empty bottle in his hand.

"No," he said. "Hunter was by earlier."

"Did he mention his ex-wife?" Skye asked with a silly expression.

Coulson stood up and walked over to the trash, tossing the bottle out.

"He asked about Lola," Coulson said. "Said you brought it up during the jump."

Skye took in a breath and leaned against the counter, dipping her spoon into the bowl.

"First jump," she said, wistfully.

"Now you've done the real thing. I mean, with a parachute and..."

"Slightly less terror, yes," she said, a hint of a smile, finishing his thought.

He stared back at her, taking in the openness of her expression.

Just a moment between them without a hint of tension, and then it was gone.

"Lola," Skye started, looking up at him, putting down her bowl. "Is locked away for the moment?"

"She just needs to get sorted out," he answered, staring down at her.

"How is that happening if she doesn't get any help?" she replied.

"And...you're offering..."

"Of course," she said. "Always."

"I'll talk to Mack...," Coulson started.

Skye looked away and picked up her bowl, heading for the door.

"...Have him order the parts," Coulson said, calling after her. "I'll let you know."

"Good," Skye tossed back, before leaving the room.

"We can get started..." he said, to the empty door.

"Soon."


	2. Tickety-Boo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hunter talks to Skye.

“Let’s have a bet.”

Skye looked him over from head to toe, leaned back slightly.

“About what?”

“I bet that our _Dear Director_ can’t go a week without mentioning your name to me.”

The color suddenly drained out of Skye’s face and she frowned and turned away from Hunter.

“What?” he asked, throwing his hands up.

Skye started breaking down the rifle from her station and clearing her things from the practice range.

“Is this a sensitive subject?”

She glared at him over her shoulder as she held the rifle base in her hand and walked away, placed it back on the shelf.

“Guess so,” Hunter said, leaning against the wall. “Well, I can tell you that this week has been a complete loss. Obliterated.”

“You don’t know me,” she said, her eyes fluttering as she pulled her pack onto her shoulder.

“Yeah, I know. I’m trying to figure out dynamics around here. Do some recon. This was supposed to be fun,” he continued, poking his fingertip into her arm.

He just stared at his hand.

“And you’re not helping,” he said, withdrawing his finger.

“What would you like to know?” she asked robotically.

“I see the Director talking to everyone, chatting me up, chatting up Fitz and May. But when he looks at you, he goes quiet. _Like a mime_.”

Skye worked her jaw looking over at him.

“Trying not to smile, aren’t you?”

“He wouldn’t like being compared to a mime., I mean...no one would.”

“What’s wrong with a mime?”

“Because, creepy and annoying, that’s what.”

“If you shoot a mime," he said, leaning towards her.  "Do you need a silencer?”

“Awful,” Skye said, hiding her face.

“Now I see it,” he said, bending down to look at her hiding a smile beneath her bangs.

She got tired of it and tipped her head back, giving him what he wanted.

“That’s good, I’m going to use that,” she said, pursing her lips to remove the smile.

“Excellent!” Hunter replied.

“But about the obliteration and the heavy silences. Did you two have ‘a thing’?”

“No,” Skye said, shaking her head. “I mean, yes, but…not like that.”

She looked sad and flustered and started to walk away.

“All tickety-boo the two of you, then?”

“A tickety what? Probably… _NO_.”

“It means things were going great and then this happened,” he said, raising his shoulders a bit, looking up.

She breathed in a deep breath and stopped, turned to look at him.

“Something like that.”

“What this tells me is that you might actually be fun, underneath that _guarded_ exterior," he said, getting very excited. "I mean, he’s wound up, but he thinks you’re ace.”

“Is that so?”

“Sure. Loosens up a bit when he talks about you. Okay, _a lot_. Seems very fond.”

“He’s got a funny way of showing it,” she said coldly, with a nod.

“Some vinegar there. You got a bit of a crush, or anything?” he said, pinching his fingers together, holding them up.

Skye crossed her arms and glared at him.

He stared back, made the space between his fingers wider. “This?”

“I heard about May shooting you,” she said, pressing her tongue against her cheek. “Unfortunate.”

“Now, now, no need for violence.”

“I had a headache for two days, you know.”

"Just getting the lay of the land. And speaking of lays..." he said, looking over her shoulder with his eyebrows raised.

Coulson appeared coming towards them down the hall, stopped awkwardly, staring at them both.

"Director," Hunter said, grinning over at Coulson.

"Hunter," he said back, puzzled by the man's expression, but turning to her instead.

" _Skye_."

"Oh, shit," said Hunter, trying not to laugh.

"Aren't you supposed to be somewhere right now?" Coulson snapped at Hunter.

"Yes, now that you mention it. Sir."

Hunter wiggled his eyebrows at Skye and headed off down the hall.

"Something I should know about?" Skye asked, crossing her arms.

"Restocking the commissary," he said.  "He's eating us out of house and home."

"Yeah, he does seem to be making himself very comfortable," Skye replied with a smile, watching Hunter walk away.

"How so?" Coulson asked, frowning over at her.

Skye bit her lip, blinked, then stared back at him. "Wouldn't you like to know."

She walked past him as Coulson turned with a bewildered expression, eyes following her down the hall.

Raising her fingers she gave him a salute. "Sir."

Coulson sighed, frowned and turned away back towards his original destination.

"How are things with Lola coming along?" she yelled down from the end of the hall, turning around back to him at the last minute.

He paused, spun around, tugged at the front of his suit.

"They're...coming," he yelled, back.

She turned the corner and Coulson watched.


	3. Gorgeous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coulson and Skye and Lola.

"So," said Hunter with a satisfied sigh. "This is Lola."

"Don't touc... _okay_ , you can touch her."

Skye watched as Hunter ran his hand lovingly over Lola's hood.

"Gorgeous. I mean to drive her," he said, looking up nodding to Skye.

"Good luck with that," she shot back.

"Hey! Don't touch Lola!"

They both turned to see Mack pointing a wrench at Hunter as he raised his hands in answer.

"It's okay, Mack," Skye said. "He's good. Special permission," Skye grinned. "Just this once."

" _Wicked_ ," Hunter answered, eyes darting up at her.

"So," Skye said, looking over at Mack. "Everything we need?"

"Yeah," Mack said with a nod. "It's all here."

"Cool," Skye said, looking around the hangar. "You know, Lola saved my life, once."

"Heard _all_ about that," Hunter said, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, well, it gets better," she started.

"From Coulson," he added, leaning towards her on the hood.

Skye took it in, narrowed her eyes at him.

"Time to go, man," Mack said, clasping Hunter on his shoulder. "Gonna play some games, got an open spot, just sayin'."

Skye watched as the personnel scooted out of the hangar and the lights at the far end began to shut off.

"I _will_ drive her," Hunter said, dragging his hands along the hood with a squeak, staring at Skye as he and Mack walked off together.

The lights continued blacking out until there was one light left shining bright above Lola.

Like a spotlight.

She heard the sound of footsteps and Coulson appeared, out of the darkness, holding a radio in his hand.

"Hi," he said, stopping just inside the circle of light.

"Sir," Skye nodded, intrigued by this elaborate display.

He put the radio down and turned it on, started fiddling with the tuner, first talk, and then blues, and finally a classic rock station.

"Ready?" he asked turning back to her.

"Always," she replied.

He had his sleeves rolled up and he went to the toolkit, got out a box cutter and made his way to the stack of cardboard boxes nearby.

Looking over the labels, he picked one and drew the blade across the tape at the top.

She stood by as he lifted the foam casing and put it down on the worktable.

"Special order," he said, peeling away the foam delicately.

"Thruster," she said, looking over his shoulder, as he smiled and ran his fingers over the contours of the part.

While he continued pulling away at the foam sheets and settling it on the table, she leaned forward.

"I did my homework," she said, gazing over him, crossing her fingers together as she watched his face.

"Had a peek at the original schematics."

Skye watched him get a serious expression, turning the part around in his hands, making his shoulders and arms tense while he examined it, twisting it to different angles.

"You sure we don't need Mack for this?" she asked after a bit.

"We can do this," he said resolutely, putting the part down, nodding at the desk. "That's what this is about."

She smiled and put her hand on his back as he flinched slightly.

"If you say so."

While he concentrated on the part, she let her hand rub up and down his back slowly.

"I think I've got it," he said, turning away from her and heading towards the toolbox again.

He searched through it, pulling out one thing and then replacing it, pulling out another.

She wandered towards him, and leaned against the box, watching.

"You need a special tool for that," she offered, tipping her head at him.

"Inner tie rod remover."

Coulson turned back to her, holding back a frustrated look on his face.

Skye smiled back at him slowly, biting her lip.

"Okay," he said, his chest moving in and out.

"Do you want me to get it for you?" she asked.

"Yes."

She could feel his eyes watching her as she looked down inside the box.

"It's not here," she said, after scouring, turning back to him. "Mack probably knows..."

"No," he answered immediately, looking her over.

Emotions played across his face, strained, anxious, and she put a hand on his cheek to soothe him.

"Hey, let me help you," she asked, staring into his eyes.

He leaned forward, and she gasped, but held her ground as he pressed his forehead against hers.

"I want to...help...," she whispered, looking to ground herself, touching his arms, his chest, as his fingers reached for her lips.

And then looking into his eyes, she welcomed his kiss.

He did, softly, saying things that he couldn't with words, pulling her into him, making love to her as much as he could in the moment.

"I'm being selfish," he said, pulling away; aching expression, tears forming.

"Love isn't selfish," she answered, touching his shaking hand.

His hand grasped hers.

"I love you," he said, touching her face.

"I love you _so much_."

And then, he told her everything.


End file.
